Today is primary election day. It’s the end of an exciting couple of weeks. The campaign literature stuffed through the door slot. The mail. The phone calls. The emails from friends promoting their candidates. The pressure. The laughs. I’ve always suspected that the real reason democracy succeeds is that elections are so entertaining.
Campaign literature is an art form, and we appreciate it when it is clever, even unintentionally funny. If you are a certain age, you’ll remember Barney Frank’s poster—Neatness isn’t everything. An autographed copy reportedly sold last year for more than a thousand dollars.
The most fun this time came from Guy Glodis, who is running for state auditor against Suzanne Bump and Mike Lake on the Democratic ticket. Glodis, sheriff of Worcester County, may know his way around a jail, but he needs to brush up on his language skills.
In one piece he promises to “reign in wasteful political spending,” as if he were king, I guess. He or his handlers didn’t realize that the phrase is “rein in,” as in controlling horses.
Apparently Glodis has had some problems reining himself in. I was told he was banned from ever participating again in the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, because the one time he did so, his behavior was so “inappropriate.” That’s pretty remarkable in an event lauded for inappropriate behavior. When he was a student at UMass Amherst he apparently published a student newsletter that sounded as if it were written by a member of the Tea Party, way before the Tea Party was actually invented.
In his next piece, Glodis is pictured with a phalanx of serious looking followers marching down a hallway as if they are FBI agents in a “Men in Black” movie. But no. They’re headed to a state agency to look through records to make sure the agency is not wasting any taxpayer money. There’s no evidence that Glodis would know how to evaluate what he might come across. But it’s what best about America. All kinds of people are welcome to run for office and embarrass themselves. It’s the most potent form of “all men are created equal.” It’s almost as good as the results of free speech.
One who doesn’t embarrass herself is Sonia Chang-Diaz, the state senator who finally triumphed over admitted felon Dianne Wilkerson. Chang-Diaz is campaigning hard even though her opponent, Hassan Williams, so far has kept a low profile. Chang-Diaz remembers she beat Wilkerson in the 2008 primary, before Wilkerson was indicted, by only 228 votes. She’s taking nothing for granted in this round. Her pieces are serious and businesslike, not witty. Like Scott Brown, she has a pretty face, and that will get her some votes. But she also has established a solid record of achievement in her first two years. Watch this lady. She’s a comer.
Unlike Chang-Diaz, Stephen Murphy shows a bit of humor. His latest piece informs us that his mother endorses him for state treasurer. Thanks, Ma. Which reminds me—I’ve not gotten any literature yet from Steve Grossman, Murphy’s opponent. Doesn’t he want my vote?
Too many Steves are in this election cycle. The next one, Stephen Lynch, promises to fight. Male candidates always say they’ll fight, conjuring up great battles bloodying the floor of Congress.
Stephen Lynch actually has had to fight this year for his seat in the 9th Congressional district. For the first time he has a credible opponent, Mac D’Alessandro, who has garnered a lot of support in the downtown parts of Lynch’s district.
No wonder. Poor Stephen Lynch’s campaign literature is hackneyed and boring. He pulls out his humble background. Spare us. Every American has a humble background if you go back far enough. Otherwise they would have stayed where they were. He makes sure you know he’s not a Washington insider, even though he’s been there since 2001.
But Steve, politics is no different from other professions. You’ve got to be an insider if you want to get anything done. Joe Moakley, Tip O’Neill, and Ted Kennedy were all insiders. Their insider status enabled us to bury the Central Artery, and no matter how bad the oversight was on the project, it is still the best thing to happen in Boston in the last 50 years. How are you going to get anything done in Congress if you aren’t an insider?
Mac d’Alessandro got a boost when the Boston Globe endorsed him, but he’s doing well with his clever campaign literature too. He attached elephant ears and a trunk to pictures of Lynch, pointing out that Lynch has not supported the Democrats’ most important initiatives. He compares him to Benedict Arnold and Johnny Damon as a betrayer.
As I write this, it is still a weekend away from Election Day. I’m hoping for some good reading material that may change my mind about the individuals I plan to vote for. Candidates: If you can make it clever, I’ll be more inclined. But watch the language.